Far removed from the busy Bali tourist centers, the unspoiled northwest offers a view into the uniqueness of Bali. Still undeveloped, with nature and marine parks preserving the area, one finds a grand expanse of coconut groves and beautiful ancient temples dotting the landscape. The magnificent volcanoes of Java are a perfect backdrop for spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
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Menjangan
Menjangan is famous for having Bali's most beautiful wall-diving. The walls descend to varying depths, ranging from 20m - 60M+. These walls offer the greatest diversity of gorgonian fans in Bali. The sites generally start at around 10m in coral reef flats and then slope down. These flats have experienced some damage due to a number of reasons. This shouldn't put anyone off as the walls make up for it. Conditions in Menjangan tend to be very gentle with visibility getting up to 50m at certain times of the year.
The reef scenery, coupled with the marine life is perfect for those wanting to get photos. The dramatic backdrop of the walls and plethora of fish life makes is easy for photographers. It is unusual to see many large pelagics in this area due to the island being protected from the cold currents coming in from the sea.
The more popular dive sites at Menjangan are: The Eel Garden, Pos II and, for the more experienced, a deep dive (40M) to the Anker Wreck, a 150yr old wooden boat.
Secret Bay
Very little coral, full of trash, dirty and shallow, Secret Bay is a jewel for any macro lover. Secret bay is a sanctuary for Bali's weirdest macro life. Undisturbed in the calm waters, it is a macro photographers paradise. Nudibranch, Frogfish, Shrimpfish, Seahorses, Dragonets, Pipefish and much more. Only 10m at the deepest part, this site allows you to have long bottom times without any problem.
This site really needs to be dives ay high tide and on the right moon cycle. It is also advisable to have a good wetsuit as the water does get below the normal warm temperatures we get in Bali.
Night-diving at Secret Bay is a unusual experience that is not to be missed. If things are weird in the day, it all changes at night. Expect the unexpected.
Permuteran
Permuteran is located some 20 minutes from Labuan lalang and is a small collection of resorts located on the beach. The diving here is very good with some very interesting and unusual marine life to be found in the area. The dive sites generally start around 25m and continue up to around 6m where the coral cover tends to fade out. No currents and good visibility makes this an excellent place to dive.
The night dive at Permuteran is very rewarding and definitely worth a visit. In fact, the well informed diver will prefer to do the night dive than the day dive.
PJ
This is Bali's newest site to be discovered. This site is a gem for macro lovers who want to really get amongst the world of the weird and wonderful. Muck diving amongst dark volcanic rock and sand doesn't sound the greatest but when you have the chance to see mimic octopus, frogfish, dragonets, nudibranchs, and many other rare creatures, you realize why it is so good.
PJ is a very hard site to find and as yet, many operators are not diving there because they don't know about. A specialist guide is essential in order to discover all that it offers. Have a look at our "Macro Magic" program to see what Blue Season Bali offers for this site.
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